Apparatus for severing knitted structures



Julie 10, 1947.

C. WELLER APPARATUS FOR SEVERING KNITTED STRUCTURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1945 I 1y I. .1.].III.

llr lllllud CHARLES WELLER June 10, 1947. Q WELLER 2,422,154

I APPARATUS FOR. SEVERING KNITTED STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inderzior I CHARLES WELLER Patented June 10, 1947 UNITED, STATES- PATENT OFFICEJ APPARATUS FOR SEVERING KNITTED STRUCTURES Charles Weller, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application September 15, 1945, Serial No. 616,546

7 Claims. I

This invention relates to an apparatus for facilitating the separation of the separable sections of goods knitted into the form of a continuous tube or web and: wherein the several sections ar temporarily held together by a loosely interkn-itted removal length of yarn or thread.

More specifically this invention relates to and as its principal object the provision of a motor-driven unit. operative to withdraw from the goods the removable thread aforesaid by a pair of meshed-gear wheels operating in the nature of feed. rolls which accept the thread therebetween and effect its rapid withdrawal from the goods to be severed. with a minimum expenditure oi time and labor on the part of the operator.

Other objects and" advantages of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it being understood that the invention herein consists generally in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as shown in th accompanying drawings, as described in the following specification and as finally pointed out in the appended claims. In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention,

Figure l: is a plan view showing the threadremoving apparatus mounted in operative position upon a work table;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3' is a top plan view of the apparatus as constructed in accordance with and embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 4; is an elevational view of the unit without its top cover plate, as viewed from the line 44 of Figure 3';

Figure 5 is a. transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the apparatus;

Figure '7 is a top plan view thereof with the top cover plate removed;

Figure 8 is a side elevational view of the unit as viewed from; the line 88 of Figure 7;

Figure 9- is an. opposite side elevational view thereof as viewed from the line &9 of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is an enlarged View of the meshing portions of th gears; andvthe slotted cover plate therefor; and

Figure 11 is an enlarged sectional view of the power-driven notched gear of. the apparatus as taken on the line I ll I- of Figure 9.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Figures 3. to 16, inclusive; it will be observed. that the threadFremQvmg apparatus of the present invention, designated generally by the reference numeral I 0, essentially consists of a main body member I l, preferably in the form of a solid block of generally rectangular shape, fitted with a pair of spaced, parallel shafts l2 and I3. The shaft 12, which is roller-bearingly or otherwise suitably jou-rnalled' within-the body member H for free rotation therein, extends freely beyond opposite sides of its supporting body, one end: of the shaft having keyed thereto a pulley l 4 and the opposite end a gear wheel i5 of the character more particularly described hereinafter.

The shaft t3, which is normally non-rotatable within the supporting member II, is provided with a freely projecting eccentric extension 3 upon which is rotatably journalled a, gear wheel i? adapted for mesh engagement with the gear wheel l5. Preferably, a roller bearing It! or the like is interposed between the gear wh'eel i! and its supporting shaft I6 similar bearings being likewis disposed between the shaft 12'' and its supporting body member I I, the arrangement being generally such that upon rotationof the shaft !'2 and the gear i5 keyed thereto, the gear I! is driven by th latter but in reverse direction with respect thereto as indicated by the arrows in Figure 9. The relative rotation of the gear wheels i5 and i1 is always as indicated so that the thread to be removed is drawn downwardly between the meshing teeth of the wheels and thence discharged therefrom.

.Phe rear end of the shaft i3 is fitted with a collar l d suitably keyed thereto, as by a set screw this collar being provided with a lateral extension 2 of generally quadrant shape having a circular slot 22, the center of which is coincident with the central axis of the shaft I3. A winged locking screw 23 projects through the slot 22' and intoa tapped hole 24" provided therefor in the body member H whereby upon positionally adjusting the slotted quadrant extension 21 the shaft I3 may be angularl'y adjusted within the limits prescribed by the length of the slot 22 in relation to the screw 23 andthen looked in such adjusted: position by tightening of the screw 23. By so angularly adjusting the shaft l3, the gear wheel l? eccentrioally mounted upon its forward end may be shifted into more or less: closely meshed engagement with the gear wheel l5, thus providing for a certain degree of adjustment between the gear wheels to. compensate for variations in thickness and other physical characteristics of the threads fed into and between the teeth of the meshing gear wheels.

As most clearly appears Figures 4;, 7 and 11,

in immediate proximity to the meshing gear wheel U y p H, the thread is drawn downwardly between the meshing teeth of the rotating gears, 7 we Secured to the top of the main body member l l, as by the screws 25, is a cover plate26 having on one side thereof a depending flange 2? which overlies the outer or exposed faces of the gears l5 and I? (see Figures 5 and 6). This cover plate 26 is provided with a thread guide 28, preferably in the form of a Y-shaped element, projecting upwardly of the plate 26 at a point located approxi-- mately above the toothed edge of the gear wheel i5 opposite that in engagement with the gear wheel ii, the bottom of the Y being in line with the straight-edged inner portions of the teeth of the said gear wheel H. The cover plate 25 is further provided with a slot 29 thereof extending diagonally from the guide 28 toward the edge of the plate and thence vertically downwardly, as at 38, the vertical extension 39 of the slot being located slightly beyond the meshing teeth of the gears (see Figure 6).

The guide 28 functions conjointly with the notches 24 of the teeth of the gear wheel 55 to cause the thread when engaged by th meshing gear wheels to shift into such position that it is effectively acted upon bythe meshing teeth of the gears to withdraw the thread from the work while the latter is held away from the thread-removing apparatus. It will be apparent that when the work containing the removable thread is held relatively stationary by the operator while the thread to be removed is extended over the guide 28 and through the slot 29 for initial engagement by the meshing gears, the portion of the thread extending between the work and the gears and lying across the guide 28 is under tension with the result that as the thread continues to be drawn toward and through the gears I5 and H, the guide 28 serves as a pivot about which the portion of the thread extending between the guide and the gears shifts so that it lies in a plane spaced inwardly from and paralleling the plane of the circular line of the notches 24 of the gear l5. Thereafter, the thread continues to be fed downwardly between the straight (i. e. 'unmutilated) portions of the teeth of the gear l5 and the meshing teeth of the gear ll. It will be observed (Figure 11) that the inner edges of the notches 24 of the teeth of the gear wheel I5 are so gradually inclined toward the outer ends or points of the teeth as to facilitate shifting of the thread from its initial position extending diagonally across the teeth of the gear 55 into its final position in which it extends parallel to and is spaced inwardly from the circular line of the notches 2d.

Any suitable power drive may be provided for the apparatus, as for example an electric motor 3% having a driving pulley 32 belt-connected to the pulley M keyed to the shaft I2 of the gear l5.

Preferably, the motor-driven apparatus til is suitably mounted, as by a bracket 33, upon a work-table a l with the upper surface of its top cover plate 28 horizontally flush with the upper surface of the work-table, asshown in Figures ,1-

and 2, the top cover plate thus serving as an extension of the work-table upon which is placed the goods to be operated upon.

The apparatus of the present invention is particularly adapted for withdrawing from knitted work, such as 35, the threads, such as 36, which are conventionally loosely interknitted in the work to hold the several separable sections 31 thereof together during the'knitting thereof into the form of a continuous web or tube. Of course, the apparatus is generally applicable for use wherever itis desired to remove short lengths of thread loosely interknitted in work to hold separable sections thereof together, and it is accordingly to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular application illustrated. V V

In use of the a paratus, the work having separable sections joined together by removable lengths of thread is shifted along the work-table to successively present the free end of each such thread in position to be extended along the dotted line shown in Figure 1 and through the guide 28 and the slot 29 for placement in those notched portions of the gear wheel ll which are exposed through the slot 29. The end of the thread so placed over the gear wheel I5 is then immediately caught between the meshing teeth of the oppositely rotating gears with the result that, as the work is held relatively stationary and away from the thread-removing apparatus, the gear wheels engage the thread and draw it out of the work for discharge downwardly between the gears. The removal of each length of the thread is efiected rapidly and without any effort on the part of the operator other than involved in initially placing the free end of the thread about the notched inner periphery of the gear wheel l5 and holding the body of the work away from the apparatus.

as the thread is subsequently withdrawn therefrom by the oppositely rotating meshing gears of the apparatus,

It will be understood, of course, that the present invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without departing from the real spirit or principles thereof, and it is accordingly intended to claim same broadly, aswell as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a thread-removing apparatus of the character described, a pair of meshing gears, one of said gears being driven andthe other being freely rotatable therewith, the teeth of said driven gear being each deformed adjacent its outer face to provide a series of'notches spaced circumferentially about the peripheral edge of said driven gear, and a thread guide disposed above the driven gear at a point located inwardly ofthe notched portions of its teeth and in spaced rela- 7 3. In an apparatus for severing the'separable;

- sections of a fabric held together by a removable thread, a motor-driven unit including a pair of coacting thread-pulling wheels adapted to accept therebetween the free end of the removable thread aforesaid, said wheels being oppositely rotatable to frictionally engage therebetweensaid thread for withdrawal thereof from the fabric,

said wheels beingfurther characterized inthat r they are respectively in the form of gears having meshing teeth, the teeth of one of said gears being deformed adjacent their outer faces to provide a series of notches spaced circumferentially about the peripheral edge of said gear.

4. In an apparatus of the character defined in claim 3 wherein one of said Wheels is driven and the other is freely rotatable by and with said driven wheel.

5. In an apparatus of the character defined in claim 3 wherein said gears are relatively adjustable to vary the spacing between their meshing teeth.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of gears arranged in meshing relation to provide for rotation thereof in opposite direction and adapted to receive therebetween the end of a thread withdrawable from a fabric containing the same while said fabric is held stationary with respect to and spaced from said gears, thread guiding means operatively associated with the gears for determining the line of feed of the thread into and between said gears, and means for facilitating initial acceptance of the leading end of the thread between the teeth of said rotating gears, the peripheral edge of one of said gears being circumferentially grooved adjacent its outer face to provide a series of circumferentially alined notches operative to permit placement of the thread into position to be frictionally engaged between the meshing teeth of the rotating gears.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair of gears arranged in meshing relation to provide for rotation thereof in opposite direction and adapted to receive therebetween the end of a thread withdrawable from a fabric containing the same While said fabric is held stationary with respect to and spaced from said gears, thread guiding means operatively associated with the gears for determining the line of feed of the thread into and between said gears, means for facilitating initial acceptance of the leading end of the thread between the teeth of said rotating gears, the peripheral edge of one of said gears being circumferentially grooved adjacent its outer face to provide a series of circumferentially CHARLES WELLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,247,244 Lawson June 24, 1941 1,979,765 Payne Nov. 6, 1934 2,387,302 Santon Oct. 23, 1945 

